FIA registers case against Hussain Haqqani on misuse of Secret Service Funds

The Federal Investigation Agency, on Monday, booked Hussain Haqqani, Pakistan’s former envoy to the USA on charges of misuse of ‘secret funds, sources told Pakistan Observer.
Hussain Haqqani had served as Pakistan ambassador to the United States from 2008 to 2012. Currently, he is working as director, South & Central Asia Washington based Hudson Institute.
“Following preliminary investigations, we have formally booked him,” a senior official of FIA told Pakistan Observer on Monday.
Last month, Additional Attorney General Waqar Rana informed the Supreme Court’s three-judge bench that the FIA was considering to file an FIR against Haqqani on the basis of different offences including Misuse of Secret Service Funds.
FIA had sought one week’s time to register a case against in this regards. It registered the case, as committed, but with a few days delay on Monday March 12, 2018.
Hussain Haqqani believes, the case was registered against him just to meet Interpol’s criteria for warrants.
“False charges have been filed in Pakistan against me six years after my resignation. These charges have been manufactured after Interpol turned down an earlier request by FIA, under instructions from Supreme Court, for a red corner notice against me. Their purpose is just to meet Interpol’s criteria for warrants because Interpol does not get involved in political cases,” Hussain Haqqani told Pakistan Observer on Monday exchanging e-mails with this correspondent.
Last month on February 15, the Supreme Court had issued arrest warrants for Haqqani for breaching an earlier undertaking to appear in person before the court on a four-day notice. This was in addition to the FIA’s efforts to approach Interpol’s headquarters in Lyon (France) for the issuance of red warrants against Hussain Haqqani.
The Interpol, however, turned down FIA’s request of issuance of warrant against Pakistan’s former Ambassador to the USA and raised valid questions.
Additional Attorney general had informed the court that the warrant of arrest issued by the court did not fulfil Interpol’s requirements. One of the conditions for the issuance of red warrants was that the punishment for the offence should spread over at least two years, whereas the arrest warrants issued for Haqqani was for committing contempt of court, the maximum penalty for which was six months, the AAG said.
With registration of FIR against Hussain Haqqani on charges of misuse of secret funds, chances are bright for FIA to move Interpol against former Ambassador, says legal expert.
However, Hussain Haqqani thinks otherwise.
“I am confident Interpol and others outside Pakistan will see the absolute lack of credibility in this politically motivated exercise aimed at silencing a critic of the Pakistani state’s wrong policies, including its support for jihadi terrorism. This case will go nowhere not only because it is without basis but also because Pakistan’s politicized judiciary and law enforcement have no respect or influence left outside Pakistan,” Haqqani told Pakistan Observer.
“I intend to carry on my life and let FIA and the hidden hands behind it figure out how to fulfill their fantasy of forcing my return to Pakistan on false charges,” he added.
It is pertinent to mention here that, regarding the allegation of misuse of ‘secret funds’, Husain Haqqani had informed the Memo Commission that Secret Service Funds (SSF) were used in the Pakistan Embassy as per rules. Haqqani had stated that revealing where they were spent would only compromise the undercover operations conducted by covert services.
Use of secret funds in foreign missions is a matter of routine and these are used with the consent of or by the officials of secret agencies deputed in these missions.
It is also a well-known fact that details of such expenditure are never disclosed and these funds are not audited. But all records and files are maintained and can be checked by the relevant authorities.
Sources told Pakistan Observer that the record of this SSF expenditure made during the tenure of Haqqani is also present in the Pakistan Embassy. Haqqani had no access to this record after being called to Pakistan and resigning from his office.
It is astonishing that no one from the Pakistan government, the foreign office or institutions concerned has ever examined this record during the last six years.